The Power of Emotion in Politics, Philosophy, and Ideology

The Power of Emotion in Politics, Philosophy, and Ideology

The Power of Emotion in Politics, Philosophy, and Ideology Hanna Samir Kassab

THE POWER OF EMOTION IN POLITICS, PHILOSOPHY, AND IDEOLOGY Copyright Hanna Samir Kassab 2016 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission. In accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. First published 2016 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN The author has asserted their right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of Nature America, Inc., One New York Plaza, Suite 4500, New York, NY 10004-1562. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. ISBN 978-1-137-59350-4 ISBN 978-1-137-59352-8 (ebook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-137-59352-8 Distribution in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Kassab, Hanna Samir, 1984 author. Title: The power of emotion in politics, philosophy, and ideology / Hanna Samir Kassab. Description: New York, NY : Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2015036168 ISBN 9781137593504 (hardback) Subjects: LCSH: Ideology. Political sociology. Power (Social sciences) Political aspects. Emotions Political aspects. Justice. BISAC: POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / Communism & Socialism. POLITICAL SCIENCE / International Relations / General. POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Process / General. POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / Fascism & Totalitarianism. Classification: LCC B823.3.K36 2016 DDC 320.5 dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015036168 A catalogue record for the book is available from the British Library.

To Roger E. Kanet P r ofe ss o r, Me n t o r, Fr i e n d

Contents List of Figures Preface Acknowledgments ix xi xv 1 Introduction 1 Part I Theory 25 2 Emotions and the Individual 27 3 Emotions and the Formation of Ideas 45 4 The Structure of Politics 63 5 Political Philosophy and Political Ideology 81 Part II Cases 99 6 Democracy 101 7 Communism 125 8 Nazism 145 9 Zionism, Arab Nationalism, Islamism, and US Neoconservatism 165 Conclusion 185 Notes 199 Works Cited 203 Index 217

Figures 1.1 The ideological dynamic 12 1.2 Summary of research hypothesis: Politics 14 1.3 Summary of research hypotheses: Philosophy and ideology 15 1.4 The process chain of the proposed politics/ideology framework 15 1.5 Constitutive relationship between structure/society and agent/individual 16 2.1 Constitutive relationship between structure/society and agent/individual 42 4.1 The equation of politics 66 4.2 The process chain of political structure 66 5.1 Constitutive relationship between structure/society and agent/individual 96 6.1 The ideological dynamic 102 6.2 Constitutive relationship between structure/society and agent/individual 123 7.1 The ideological dynamic 126 7.2 Constitutive relationship between structure/society and agent/individual 143 8.1 The ideological dynamic 146 8.2 Constitutive relationship between structure/society and agent/individual 163 9.1 Constitutive relationship between structure/society and agent/individual 180

Preface T his book has been in the works since 2006 when I first read Karl Polanyi s book The Great Transformation. I wanted to base a career on the study of totalitarian movements built on Polanyi s research, but I failed to articulate a novel thesis necessary to write a dissertation. Finding the words and developing a framework to fully understand a particular thought escaped me that moment. In 2014, after completing a dissertation on a completely different topic (weak states and international relations), I reconvened the project with an inherently different focus. Throughout my time as a student, my focus evolved from a material perspective to more intangible features of the human experience: emotion. Similar to Polanyi, I wanted to theoretically explain how the lack of economic opportunity in a disembedded society creates violent political ideologies dedicated to overthrowing the status quo. The aim of these ideologies is to re-embed and subordinate the economy to society. Like Polanyi, I was missing an all important step that, thus far, remains unexplained and misunderstood by theorists and analysts: emotions as an organizational structure. As I advanced from an undergraduate to a graduate, I realized that emotions mattered more and more in the construction of politics, political philosophy, and political ideology. This was driven home after a particular conversation with a colleague. My colleague, an ardent supporter of Israel, once asked me whether or not it was fair to say that Arab peoples were an emotional set, meaning that they let their anger against Israel construct responsive behavior. As a result, he wondered whether or not Arab emotions begat wrong policies especially with regard to peace with Israel. The conversation was an interesting one as my most esteemed comrade forgot that the very creation of Israel and its foreign and domestic policies were, and continues to be, an emotional project. Israel s identity as a nation is about survival among legions of existential threats surrounding its body politic. The emotional feelings

xii Preface of both sides destroy any chance for peace. The fear pent up inside over decades ruin any chance for positive change. My friend s perspective neglected to realize that in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, no group has the ability to hold back emotion. It is this fear that creates the idea of Zionism or Arab nationalism. Emotion, whether it is the euphoria that celebrates a nation s superiority over another or the fear of violent extinction by the same group, creates ideas of political organization and philosophy. If a number of people find courage and safety in a political idea, or a set of political ideas namely a philosophy, then those ideas or that philosophy becomes political ideology, a sort of human religion. Such is the foundation for many of the ideologies and nationalisms existing today. Ethnic nationalism, nazism, communism, Islamic fundamentalism, and other like doctrines are a product of emotion. Being caught up in a wave of antisemitism, for example, gives the idea of Jewish inferiority power. The elation experienced by the crowd as documented by film and script elicits a vulgar spirituality similar to a religious zeal. This force then transforms and shapes a society as individuals and groups succumb to the ecstasy. This is a shared experience for others who adhere to other ideologies. The first time I noticed the importance of emotion in an ideological sense was in 2012. While reading up on the structure of paradigms and paradigm shifts, I noticed that in the field of economics, paradigm shifts do not occur as smoothly as compared to the natural sciences. With this starting point, I, along with colleague Wenyuan Wu, wrote an article on the subject. In Sticky Paradigms in Social Science: The Role of Emotion and Ego in the Case of Economics, we argue that emotional attachments frustrate smooth and rapid paradigm shifts within social science as academics have normative underpinnings, defined by emotion, that interfere with their work. From this, we argue that intellectualism in social science is the product of both emotional normative frameworks and reason. Economic paradigms exist because intellectuals like John Maynard Keynes and Fredrich Hayek feared societal transformation that would threaten their social position (Kassab and Wenyuan 2014). These two very influential economists, John Maynard Keynes and Fredrick August Hayek, had emotion, particularly fear, as their main instigator that stimulated them to craft their corresponding works. A close reading of Keynes and Hayek and other academics validate their normative bias; for example, Keynes to save capitalism from communism, and Hayek to save the Western world from authoritarianism (Kassab and Wenyuan 2014).

Preface xiii The first mover for these scholars was emotion, not logic. From this, I began to see the role of emotion in life: in relationships, in competition with our peers to everyday purchases, let s get it just in case we can t in the future. I perceived emotions as the mechanism that both encourages and hinders rationality, development, and progress. I saw special importance of fear in decision making. Fear specifically plays a very important role in convincing people to do what they would not normally do; successfully communicating fear convincingly is power. It forces people to limit their options by making them believe there are no other choices available to them. It is here that I establish the importance of myths and the construction of ideology. The book you now hold is a product of ten years of research, writing, conversation, and experience.

Acknowledgments T he author would like to thank the following persons. To my family: my father Samire, mother Hanane, sister Lea, and brother Elias. Thank you once again for the support and encouragement. I would not be in this position without you, I love you all. To Ryan Kang, my friend and comrade, my brother in intellect, you have been with me since the first day of university. We have come a very long way. The geographical distance has not hurt the brotherhood. The two-man nation lives on and will last many ages to come. Thank you for your kind comments in the first chapter. I do not think this work could have been the same without your aid. Finally, to Professor Roger E. Kanet, to whom this work is dedicated: thank you for your guidance these many years. As a mentor, you taught me how to encourage individual development in others. You listen. Your comments are always accommodating; your criticism constructive. When I wrote my dissertation, you filled the void others created and made sure I finished. You dispensed sage advice on every occasion, not just to me but to all seeking wisdom. Thank you for the years of counsel and friendship.